Clue

Clue

Amid the ruins beyond Wall Maria, the wild Reincarnators who had previously chosen to break through the Garrison Regiment had not entered Wall Rose.

As the second line of defense, and with news of Wall Maria’s fall having arrived, the elite Survey Corps had already come here to provide support.

If they had not chosen to force their way through earlier, they could have tried to blend in.

But this time, they had "happened" to be recognized by a Garrison Regiment member who had fled here. They could only flee miserably into the ruins.

Yet the enemies they had to face now were not merely Titans.

Inside a farm.

A burly man nearly two meters tall was lifted by the throat with one hand by a figure who did not look particularly strong. His mouth gaped wide, while harsh, rasping sounds came from his throat.

His powerful limbs hung limply at his sides, twisted into irregular angles. He did not struggle in the slightest, the whites of his eyes spread wide like a dead dog’s.

The other independent Reincarnators watching in terror trembled before just four people. Forget trying to save him—they did not even dare run.

Only a round-faced girl screamed shakily in terror.

"We really don’t know! After we broke through the Garrison Regiment, we never saw them again. Whatever happened to them had nothing to do with us!"

Yan Jun, who was holding the temporary leader of the Reincarnators by the throat, lowered his head and glanced coldly at the woman before snorting.

"Hmph. A bunch of trash like you couldn’t have done it even if you wanted to. I don’t need you to tell me that. But you still have to be buried alongside Xiao Yan!"

Yan Jun had followed their trail and, using a special tracking skill, had still found clues leading to these Reincarnators. After two days, he had successfully cornered them.

Only to discover that it had nothing to do with this bunch of trash!

Why?

Why had Xiao Yan, so outstanding, died out there while these pieces of trash got to live on?

They all had to die! They all had to be buried alongside Xiao Yan!

Crack!

The strongest among the independent Reincarnators, a man capable of transforming into a three-meter-tall brute for a short time, had his neck crushed by Yan Jun. His limp corpse was tossed aside.

"Wait, wait! I have information that may be related to what happened to your friend."

A voice rang out, causing Yan Jun to pause. He turned a cold gaze toward the sweating man with glasses who had spoken.

Trembling as he adjusted his glasses, Hou Bai forced himself to remain calm and spoke in a slightly quavering voice.

"I studied mathematics abroad, so I’m quite sensitive to numbers. Aside from the thirteen members of your team and the people currently here, there is actually one person missing from our group."

"Huh? There’s another one missing?"

"How could that be? Why didn’t I notice?"

The moment he finished speaking, two pig teammates beside him immediately sold themselves out.

Yan Jun instantly shot them an unfriendly look, seemingly believing they were toying with him.

"No, no! Think carefully. The one who was sleeping beneath a tree when we woke up. The one who barely said anything along the way and kept a low profile. The one who didn’t follow us when we rushed over here in the end!"

Compared to the other Reincarnators, the man with glasses clearly had much sharper observational skills and paid more attention to details.

After his reminder, several Reincarnators gradually recalled the person, expressions of realization appearing on their faces.

But even more remained utterly confused.

Although hatred had clouded Yan Jun’s mind, he still retained his own judgment. Seeing their reactions, he naturally knew that the man with glasses was telling the truth.

"There is one more person? Are you sure? What does he look like?"

Yan Jun grabbed the man with glasses and lifted him up with one hand, his face utterly cold.

"He kept a very low profile. I don’t know how to describe him, but I’ll definitely recognize him if I see him."

Hou Bai’s face had turned red from being choked, yet he still managed to answer.

"Haha, you’re smart. For that cleverness alone, I’ll spare your life as long as you find him."

Hearing Hou Bai’s words, Yan Jun laughed instead of getting angry. He then released him, sending him crashing to the ground, where he clutched his neck and coughed violently.

"Other than him, him, and him, the rest of you have no value."

Yan Jun casually pointed at several people who had shown expressions of realization after Hou Bai’s reminder. Then he made the first move, cleaving a man in two with a single slash, completely disregarding the penalty imposed by cooperative mode!

The farm was soon filled with slaughter and screams.

The agonized screams quickly came to an abrupt end. In the end, only Hou Bai and the few others who had been selected remained, their faces deathly pale as they trembled.

Wiping the blood from his blade, Yan Jun blankly glanced at the survivors. Without saying anything, he sent them a space contract to sign.

After seeing its contents, they felt as though they had been granted a reprieve. They signed it almost without hesitation.

With the slaughter before their eyes still fresh in their minds, they clung to this contract that could save their lives like a lifeline, no matter how harsh its terms were.

Otherwise, how could they ensure that these people would spare them after finding the target?

"Judging from the battle traces earlier, if it really was just one person acting alone, then that person’s strength is probably no less than any one of us. Either an outstanding Formal Reincarnator or a Veteran Reincarnator."

After the few who could identify the person had signed the agreement, Yan Jun continued speaking to his other three teammates.

"That’s right. He probably used some special Authority Item to slip in among the newcomers. His objective should be the same as ours. He must have found some secret, so he killed Xiao Yan and the others to silence them."

Li Si, who had previously interrupted Yan Jun, replied in agreement.

Yan Jun nodded and continued.

"None of us alone has a sufficient chance of defeating him, but if we stay together, we won’t be able to find him efficiently. Based on the timing, he probably hasn’t reached Wall Rose yet. He should still be in this area. We still have a chance to block him."

Though he did not say it explicitly, his other teammates understood what Yan Jun meant. He still wanted to split up and search in several directions.

It was indeed the most efficient option, but the risk was too great.

"Each of us has enough communication signals. The moment we encounter the target, we can use one immediately. No matter how strong he is, he can’t defeat any one of us in a short time."

Yan Jun argued his case, then pointed at the few people who had signed the agreement and were wearing expressions of relief at having survived.

"There happen to be four of them left. Each of us can take one. As long as we don’t move too far apart, it’ll be fine."

In the end, Yan Jun successfully persuaded them. Or perhaps every one of them possessed the pride of a Veteran Reincarnator. Even if they were not confident they could defeat their opponent, they were sure they could hold him off and protect themselves.

As for those who could identify the target, once they found him, they would no longer be useful. Yan Jun’s group would not kill them, but they had no obligation to protect them either!

"Then let’s split up. I’ll head in the six o’clock direction. Synchronize your time now. Everyone must send a signal confirming they’re safe every half hour. If no signal comes within five minutes of the deadline, the other three must go provide support."

Yan Jun’s decisions had always been bold, but beneath that boldness was a meticulous side. He constantly refined his plans.

That was also why the four combat partners, whose strength was not too far apart, had vaguely come to regard him as their leader…

Just as the team hunting Xu Yue began operating at full capacity, Xu Yue, dragging his captive behind him, turned back and stabbed Reiner Brown several more times with a Kunai reinforced by Kabane membrane. He kept him in a state of Healing Wound, denying him any opportunity to transform into a Titan again.

"Don’t go too far."

Bleeding again from another stabbing, Reiner Brown felt like he was going insane. How had he run into such a person? But Xu Yue’s Wood Clone, already low on Chakra, could not even be bothered to respond.

After stabbing him, Xu Yue frowned and suddenly dragged him into an empty building nearby to hide.

The moment the two entered, a ten-meter-class Titan emerged from around the street corner, its footsteps accompanied by rhythmic tremors.

That bizarre smiling expression and the vibrations of its steps shaking the ground made Reiner Brown, who had just been about to speak, obediently shut his mouth.

Even in human form, he feared Titans. One of the companions who had come here with him had been eaten right before his eyes by a Titan sleeping underground.

Now, he could only remain silent and cautiously hide in the empty building with Xu Yue, praying that the Titan would not notice them.

Otherwise, this house could not stop a ten-meter Titan.

At the same time, he felt vaguely puzzled. With this monster’s strength—someone even more terrifying than a Titan, who had subdued him even after he transformed into the Armored Titan—why was he hiding from an ordinary Titan? He could simply kill it.

Could it be…

To subdue me, he also expended a great deal of power? Maybe he was even injured and hadn’t recovered yet?

Is that why he keeps stabbing me to stop me from transforming into a Titan?

Thinking of this, Reiner Brown felt somewhat relieved. At least this guy was not completely absurd. And I’m actually pretty strong too, if I could make a monster like him expend so much strength.

As he continued to let his thoughts run wild, the Titan’s rumbling footsteps drew closer and closer. Dust fell from the eaves with every tremor.

Boom!

The Titan’s enormous foot appeared outside the window, bringing a gust of wind and scattering rubble. But to their relief, after passing the window, its owner did not stop and instead continued wandering onward.

Even so, Reiner Brown felt as though the nerves stretched taut in his heart had just passed through life and death once over…